It’s called the Cheese Company, but this little shop offers far more than 70 or so kinds of cheese.

New owner Rich Priest took over this Hilltop store in January, and his 35-plus years of experience in the restaurant business told him he should be doing gourmet takeout in this neck of the woods. His instincts have proven right: the place is packed from noon until close with folks from the neighborhood picking up dinner for their families.

Priest put in a whole line of entree items, salads and soups, with a menu that changes daily. You can usually count on some kind of whole roasted chicken ($4.95 for a 3-pound bird), maybe herb-encrusted or stuffed with rice and manchego cheese, and chicken breasts (about $5 per serving) done different ways, such as topped with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella or lime-sparked pineapple salsa.

Two soups are offered daily and on a recent visit a rich lemon-scented chicken and rice and a mushroom-studded barley ($5.98 to $7.98 a quart) were available. The half-dozen chilled salads ($4.98 to $7.98 a pound) might include such cool combinations as artichokes and black olives, garbanzos and bell peppers or a Caesar chicken with pasta.

And a hunk of imported cheese goes with everything, really.
Single servings: Everything is available as individual-sized portions.
Family values: A meal for four with a soup, whole chicken, two side salads and dessert (check out the caramel bread pudding for $3.25 a piece) comes in at about $34.

Leftovers: During the peak times of lunch and just before dinner, the staff can be overwhelmed.

The Cheese Company

Address: 5575 E. Third Ave.

Phone: 303-394-9911

Style: Deli, cheeses

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Prices: $5-$10

Credit cards: MC, Visa, Discover

Delivery: No

Parking: Parking lot

eat in

Forget the facade; House of Kabob has a lot going for it

Afirst-time customer could not predict, judging by its ramshackle faade, that the House of Kabob is a chic enclave, its front door a portal to a cozy, exotic world. Rust-colored walls exude warmth, while miniature Persian rugs and brass knickknacks add Middle Eastern panache.”

The restaurant, practically a dinosaur at 20 years old, features Lebanese and Persian (Iranian) dishes. Its menu covers the spectrum of Middle East cuisine. Lebanon, branded for its agriculture, contributes mainly vegetarian plates, while most meat dishes, such as the namesake kabobs, are Persian.

In conversation, Lebanese owner Ashraf Saad reflects on his homeland with more respect than wistfulness, a detachment that is faintly mirrored in the menu.
Both Saad and his chef, Sam Khetchen, enliven when discussing Lebanese wine.

Two are on the menu, a red and a white ($5.95/glass). Both are strong enough to match flavorful dishes yet also delightful on their own.

Persian salad ($3.95), diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olive oil and spices is colorful and lively. Fresh flavors zip across the tongue, especially when adding a few dashes of the lemony sumac (a mild Middle Eastern spice) found in pepper shakers on the table. Hummus ($4.50), a Lebanese staple, is a mlange of chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and is a good example of Khetchen’s culinary deftness.

Ara-Yes ($3.50), a grilled pita filled with ground lamb and beef, rivals a quesadilla, placing crisp pita crust against soft, savory filling. Dip it in lebnee ($3.95), a tart Lebanese yogurt cheese, to equalize the meat with a creamy zang. Fesenjan ($9.50), a chicken stew, piques taste buds with a pungently sweet sauce of ground walnuts, apple and pomegranate. Sweet-tooths may enjoy it, but I found it cloying.

Rice pudding ($2.50), presents chubby grains of Egyptian rice nestled in a creamy bath of sweet milk and rosewater. With only three plump, golden raisins, the dish is tasteful and understated – much like the restaurant itself.

House of Kabob

Address: 2246 S. Colorado Blvd.

Phone: 303-756-0744

Prices: $1.25 (side dishes) – $14.94 (whole lamb shank)

Credit cards: all major

Parking: lot

Sizzle: For some – belly dancers on weekend nights. For others – Chef Khetchen is as charming as he is skilled in the kitchen.

Kyle Wagner worked at The Denver Post from 2002-2014. She joined as the restaurant critic and food writer after nine years as restaurant critic for Westword. Her passions for mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding, skiing, river rafting, exploring the world — and anything that gets her out of the office — made transitioning into travel and fitness a perfect fit.

The Fitzsimons Golf Course may, after 20 years of rumors, be closing at the end of this year to make way for bioscience master plans. As staff and regulars await a final date, they reminisce on the course’s nearly 100 years of history.